In the Old Testament, there is a man named Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s story started with a burden. As the people were set to return to Jerusalem, he saw the condition of Jerusalem’s wall and knew the situation was desperate. Without a wall, people returning to Jerusalem after years in captivity would be unprotected and vulnerable to attack. Nehemiah was brokenhearted and needed to bring his burden before the Lord.
The state of Jerusalem’s wall was a reflection of the condition of the people’s relationship with God. Disobedience had left their city and their lives in disarray. So before Nehemiah could fix the brokenness surrounding the city, he asked God to fix the brokenness inside the people of the city. Forgiveness was the foundation everything else would be built on. And that led him to weep, fast, and pray.
As we look around our world today, what breaks your heart? What has God put in front of you that you can’t ignore? Until our hearts are broken for the situations and people around us, we’ll maintain the status quo. Maybe, like Nehemiah, we need to weep, fast, and pray.